The contribution of tutor development programmes on academic performance of Grade V science student teachers: A case study of selected National Teachers’ Colleges in Uganda

Abstract

This study was carried out in four National Teachers colleges in Uganda, the purpose of the study was to investigate and establish the contributions of Tutor professional development programmes on academic performance of grade V science student teachers in National Teachers Colleges in Uganda. With objectives to, identifying in-service professional development programmes science tutors have attended in the past five years, examine the contribution of professional development programmes on academic performance of grade V science student teachers and assess the contributions of ongoing informal resources on academic performance of Grade V science student teachers in selected National Teachers’ Colleges in Uganda. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design, the target population included; college administrators, science tutors and student teachers, Samples were obtained by separating the population elements into non-overlapping groups called strata and then selecting a simple random sample within each stratum, stratums of 32 tutors and 80 student teachers were sampled at random to ensure that relevant information could be obtained from them at equal probabilities. Four college principals were purposely interviewed. Data was collected using self administered questionnaire, (SAQ) on student teachers, and an interview guide on college administrators, and documentary review of literature related to the theme of the study was reviewed. Data quality control was achieved by ensuring validity and reliability of measuring instruments. The Pearson’s correlation co-efficiency was used to establish the relationship between continuing education courses, tutor workshops and ongoing informal resources on academic performance of science student teachers in National Teachers Colleges in Uganda. The study revealed that there was a positive correlation between continuing education courses, tutor workshops and ongoing informal resources on the academic performance of science student teachers in N.T.C’s; however the study also revealed that science tutors do not regularly attend professional development programmes , and there isn’t enough ongoing informal resources in all the colleges sampled in this study, perhaps these issues can partly explain students’ poor academic performance in science. It was therefore recommended that N.T.C’s administrators need to plan and regularly organise more continuing education courses, it was also recommended that more funding should be sought from the Ministry of Education and sports and other private sources to enable them organise in service training, workshops and seminars, adopt modern methods of staff development like on-job mentoring, couching and tutor counseling since they are cheaper and convenient, provide more ongoing informal resources, since all these have been found to have a positive co-relation in enhancing academic performance of student teachers in N.T.C’s.

The study also recommend that efforts should be made to improve academic performance in science from secondary schools level by provision of scholastic materials, and in service training to teachers as it was established that poor performance in N.T.Cs is also attributed to the poor science background of students who enroll for a Grade V Diploma course as it’s reflected in their poor entry results.